Controlled English and Language Translation
Could the use of “Controlled English” improve language translations and reduce their cost? The debate is open.
“AECMA Simplified Technical English” was originally developed for aerospace industry maintenance manuals. Created in order to reduce ambiguity in technical language, it consists of a limited and standardized subset of English vocabulary.
This form of English is only one of dozens of types of “Controlled English.” Proponents of these systems believe that their use ensures higher-quality writing and language translation, reduction of safety risks, and simplified content management.
However, embracing the controlled language concept is not as simple as it sounds. First, the necessary language management tools can represent a major investment, with some costing tens of thousands of dollars. Second, it is not necessarily easy to train writers or translators to limit their writing to pre-determined chunks of words.
Finally, while controlled languages may work well for instruction manuals, by their very nature they cannot take into account cultural differences and nuances. Thus their use across the entire spectrum of corporate writing, language translation and website localization appears unlikely.
Language Translation Inc. has provided language services in the USA and abroad since 1989 and is ready to help your company meet the increasing demand for multilingual software, websites and advertising. One of our specialties is localization, a process which assures that your company’s message is appropriately conveyed, both culturally and linguistically, to your target audience.
Betty Carlson
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Language Translation Inc.
Language Translation Inc., a San Diego-based company has been serving the U.S. and countries abroad since 1989 with professional document translation, certified conference interpreting, and software / website localization services.
http://www.languagetranslation.com/index.html
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